Operative mechanism for dumping-cars.



No.862,247. I PATENTED AUG.6,1907

- 0. A. HALLBEN.

OPBRATIVE MECHANISM FDR DUMPING CARS.

urmoulon FILED MAY 8, 1907.

2 suns-sum 2.

amma I Witnesses o Z6; aiming CHARLES A. HALLEEN,

OF ASHTABULA, OHIO.

OPERATIVE MECHANIM FOR DUMPING-CARS.

Specification of Letters I?atent.

Patented Aug. 6, 1907.

Application filed May 8,1907. Serial No. 372,540.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. HALLEEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ashtabula, in the county of Ashtabula and State of Ohio,have invented new and useful Improvements in Operative Mechanism forDumping-Cars, of which the following is a specific ation.

This invention relates to an operating mechanism and latch for theswinging doors of hopper bottom cars, and has for its object to provideimproved means for opening and closing the doors and for holding thesame open or closed, and especially for unlatching or releasing thedevices which support the doors. This latter has hitherto been a matterof some difficulty or inconvenience, because of the imperfect meansprovided for releasing the doors when it is desired to dump the car.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure l is a longitudinal sectional view showing the hopper of a carand the devices forming the subject of the present inventionappliedthereto, with the doors closed. Fig. 2 is a similar'view with thedoors open. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the position of the partsin the act of releasing the doors. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section onthe line 44 of Fig. 1.

Referring specifically to the drawings, 6 indicate the longitudinal carsills, 7 the floor of the car, and 8 the hopper in the bottom of thecar. The pair of swinging doors 9 open or close the bottom of the hopperand they are hinged at 10 to hangers 11 secured to the car frame. Thecar is preferably of the ordinary pressed steel construction, and theedges of the doors are strengthened by short I beams 12 extending acrossthe same.

At 13 is indicated a segmental wheel or sheave, pivoted upon a stud 14projecting from the wall of the hopper, and this segment is grooved atits outer edge to carry the operating chain 15. The segment is bolted orotherwise securely fixed at one end to an arm 16 which thus turnstherewith and forms substantially a part thereof. This arm is connectedby pivoted links 17 to ears 18 on the heads of bolts 19 which extendthrough and are secured to the flanges of the I beams 12 on therespective doors.

One end of-the chain 15 is connected to the pin 20 which also connectsthe links 17 to the arm 16, and the chain extends thence around thesegment to connecthe chain when wound on the shaft 21 (which will beprovided with a crank at its end whereby it may be turned) will turn thesegment and by means of the connecting links will lift the door. Whenthe doors are closed the arm 16 will pass slightly beyond the verticalcenter line and will be automatically locked until the segment is turnedback to bring the arm 16 on the other side of the center line.

In order to prevent accidental movement of the segment when the doorsare closed, which might be caused by the pounding or jolting of the carsor otherwise, I provide the segment with a lateral projecting lug 24.bolted to the side of the segment. This lug may if desired be connectedto the arm 16 by bar 25 placed within or between the plates of thesegment. The lug 24 is adapted to be engaged by a hook 26 at the end ofa crank arm27 carried by the shaft 31. A convenient and preferred meansof attaching said arm 27 is to square the end of the shaft as indicatedat 28 and split the shank of the arm, as indicated at 29, the sectionsbeing united and clamped upon the squared part of the shaft by bolts 30.This allows convenient and quick repair in case ofbreakage.

The latch mechanism operates as follows: When the doors are closed, asshown in Fig. 1, the turn of the shaft 21 to wind the chain thereonbrings the arm 27 to position where its hook 26 engages over the lug 24,the parts being properly proportioned and positioned to have thisresult. When the hook is so engaged the segment is latched and cannotaccidentally swing over and back to dump the load. When it is desired todump the car, the shaft 21 is turned back to slack the chain and theturn thereof lifts and disengages the hook 26 from the lug 24 and swingsthe arm 27 around until it comes up under the lug 24, as shown in Fig.3, and continued turn of the shaft causes said arm to act as a leverunder the lug, to lift the same, thereby turning the segment until thearm 16 passes the vertical line or center, when the doors willimmediately drop by gravity and dump the contents of the car. The doorsmay then be closed by turning the shaft in the opposite direction, tooriginal position.

I claim:

1. In a car door operating mechanism, the combination with a door andlifting devices including a turning member and a winding shaft, of alatch carried by the shaft and engageable with the member toprevent turnthereof.

2. In a car door operating mechanism, the combination with a door, andlifting devices including a winding shaft and chain, and a turningmember connected to the chain and to the door, of a latch carried by theshaft and engageable with the member when the chain is wound.

In car door operating mechanism, the combination with a door, andlifting devices including a winding shaft and chain, and a pivotedsegment over which the chain passes and to which the chain and door areconnected, the segment having a projecting lug at the side thereof, of:1 latch carried by the shaft and engaged with the lug when the chain iswound.

4. In a car door operating mechanism, the combination with a door, of awinding shaft having connections to the door including a chain and apivoted segment over which the chain passes, the segment having a lugprojecting from its side, and an arm extending from the shaft andarranged to strike the lug and turn the segment, when the shaft isturned to unwind the chain.

5. In a car door operating mechanism, the combination with a door, of awinding shaft having connections to the door including a chain and apivoted segment over Which the chain passes, the segment having a lugprojecting from its side, and an arm extending from the shaft andarranged to strike the lug and turn the segment when the shaft is turnedto unwind the chain, and having a hook arranged to engage the lug andlatch the segment when the chain is wound.

of a turning arm and segment beside the same, the arm lJeing connectedto the doors, a winding shaft, and a chain connected to the arm and tothe shaftand extending over the segment.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES A. HALLEEN.

Witnesses Join: A. BOMMHARDT, EDITH D. Comm.

